Archive for November, 2014

November 30th marks the official end of hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin. There were 8 named tropical cyclones, 6 hurricanes and 2 major hurricanes. Only one storm affected the Hampton Roads region. That was Arthur on July 4th…. The weather this upcoming week will feature a warm start but a cold front will drop temperatures back below normal on Tuesday. Some rain is possible, but at this time, weather forecasters are predicting that areas well to our northwest will see the most rain from this system. In other words, for the state of Virginia, rain chances will be lower the farther southeast you are. We should return to more seasonal temperatures later in the week. At the time of this writing, no major storms are expected this week…. The good news is that the folks returning home today (Sunday) after the holiday weekend shouldn’t have any weather related problems here in the Eastern part of the nation. That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

The low pressure system that brought heavy rain and strong winds to Hampton Roads on Wednesday is long gone, but another low pressure system will impact our weather this Thanksgiving Day. Two inches of rain fell from this system in my neighborhood, which was actually much needed rainfall. As I stated in my previous post, we really have not received much rain the past several weeks. Unfortunately, the storm hampered many travelers yesterday, one of the busiest travel days of the year. Not only was there heavy rain but there was also snow well to our north and west. The low pressure affecting us today isn’t especially strong, but it should produce some scattered showers at times. We should dry out on Friday, but temperatures will be much below normal. The weekend actually looks good with moderating temperatures and some sunshine. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and be safe!

An expansive high pressure area will guarantee a very nice Saturday albeit a bit on the chilly side. As the high moves off of the East Coast, the clockwise flow around it will produce a more southerly wind. Temperatures on Sunday morning should be warmer than they were this morning. It was 25 degrees at my house. Meanwhile, a major storm system will be organizing over the Southern Plains States. A warm front associated with this low pressure system will be approaching our area on Sunday. This will bring us more clouds and eventually a fairly good chance of rain/showers later Sunday and Sunday night. Rainfall has been below normal the past several weeks, so some wet weather is really needed. If we don’t receive significant rainfall soon, we may be placed in a drought status. The rain should move out early Monday morning and we should see a surge in temperatures into the 70’s! After that, a cooling trend will set in and some very chilly weather may be in store for the Thanksgiving Weekend. A storm system may bring us more rainfall on Wednesday, but there is a lot of uncertainty with that system… I wanted to comment on the incredible lake effect snowfall that impacted Western New York state. Although several complex factors go into creating a spectacular snowfall event that occurred on the lee shores of the Great Lakes, the bottom line is that whenever unseasonably cold air moves over the still relatively warm lakes at this time of year, the recipe is set for heavy lake effect snow. You’ve probably seen the incredible video and pictures from the impacted areas. It’s a localized event so you can have several feet of snow in one area and just a few miles away, there may be only flurries! Roofs have collapsed due to the heavy snow and their problems may worsen as rain is expected along with warmer temperatures. Flooding may be a big issue for them, depending on how much rain falls…. That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

The Arctic air mass that has been making news this past week across the U.S. finally reached the East Coast on Friday. Although the air mass moderated somewhat, temperatures were much below normal for this time of year on Friday. The average high temperature for this time of the year is around 62 degrees and we should stay in the 40’s all day today (Saturday). However, winds will be diminishing as high pressure builds into our part of the country. Temperatures should be in the mid 50’s on Sunday. There’ll be a mix of clouds and sunshine this weekend. A frontal system is expected to bring rain/showers to our region Sunday night and Monday. The exact timing of the rain is not certain and neither is the forecasted amount of rain. I’ve heard one forecast of up to an inch of rain on Monday. Then, another very chilly air mass is expected to plunge into the region by mid-week and possibly bring us the coldest temperatures of the season so far. Does this abnormally cold weather this early in the season mean a very cold winter lies ahead? Not necessarily. However, sometimes weather patterns get locked in for a while so we’ll see how things unfold. That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

As the headline states, a low pressure system off of the Southeast Coast will be close enough to bring some wet weather today across parts of Southeast Virginia and Eastern North Carolina. Although heavy rain is not expected, showers will be moving in from the south and southeast today with the highest rain chances the further south and east you are today (Tuesday). Winds should remain light today. The low will slowly move northeastward out to sea which should make Wednesday a much nicer day. Unfortunately, the mild weather will not last as a cold air mass approaches the region. Temperatures are going to be well below normal later in the week behind that cold front. The front is expected to stall off the coast and a low pressure system may develop along it bringing with it a chance of rain. According to the NWS, the highest rain chances appear to be Thursday night, but the timing of the ran may change so stay tuned. Right now, Saturday looks like it will be a chilly but sunny day. Clouds increase on Sunday along with another chance of rain Sunday night into Monday. Again, the timing may change with that rain event. Temperatures should moderate late in the weekend and early next week.